Two Malaysian women plead not guilty to assassination

Willard Rivera

Siti Aisyah, from Indonesia, and Doan Thi Huong, from Vietnam, entered their pleas at Malaysia's High Court on Monday, almost eight months after the airport assassination.

He was testifying at the trial of Indonesian Siti Aisyah, 25, and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, 28, who are charged with murdering Kim Chol. He immediately sought help from airport staff, but collapsed and died minutes later.

After the charges were read to the women in their native languages at Malaysia's High Court, they shook their heads "no" when asked if they were guilty.

A doctor at an airport clinic where Kim Jong Nam received treatment on Feb 13 said the victim had "constricted pinpoint pupils".

The two women could face a death sentence if found guilty. The judge denied the request.

Kim Jong-nam, the eldest son of late dictator Kim Jong-il, had challenged his half brother's succession to the top post.

The murder sparked an angry row between Pyongyang, which has been accused of masterminding the killing, and Malaysia, historically one of North Korea's few allies.

DPRK is an acronym for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. He had, however, spoken out publicly against his family's dynastic control of the reclusive, nuclear-armed nation.

He died on the way to Putrajaya Hospital from klia2, sparking a diplomatic row between Putrajaya and Pyongyang. The passport used Kim's pseudonym, Kim Chol.

The trial, one of the highest-profile court cases in Malaysia in decades, is likely to last for months and will be monitored closely for any insight into how North Korea and its security service operates. The trial, which opened Monday, will be scrutinized because of many questions about this crime out standards still remain unanswered: how two women living in precarious conditions, as many migrants in Malaysia have been involved in the killing of such a figure?

She said the reading could have been achieved if the accused was exposed to low amount or within a short period of time, and absorption through the skin was lower compared to the poison being swallowed or inhaled.

She said such condition could have been caused by either pesticide or a nerve agent.

Their attorneys argued in court they could not build a solid defense if the prosecution did not enter the names of the four North Koreans who left the country on the day of the assassination, and who were identified by Malaysian police as persons wanted in connection with the killing.

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